Fuse



June 25, 1946. J. H. wooDBlv-:RRY ETAL 2,402,702

FUSE

Filed April 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Francis HMiles Jn- Jnhn E Barker -E E- Eeavag W7? ff A m Y aww,

Jahn H Wn n :[1: Erl'y' Christian E Eturm-Har nld M Ergfnn -lnmll june 25, E946.

J. H. WOODBERRY ETAL FUS E 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1925 vm mwm Br tun Patented June 25, 1946 FUSE John H. Woodberry, Johnsonville, S. C., Christian G. Storm, Washington, D. C., and John S. Barker, Rochester, N. Y., and Francis H. Miles, Jr., Mahwah, Harold M. Brayton, Dover, and Clifton E. Seavey, Rockaway, N. J., assignors to the Secretary of War of the United States of America, trustee Application April 2, 1925, Serial No. 20,154 9 Claims. (Cl. 102-'1-79) (Grantedunder the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0.1G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without thek payment to us of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a fuse.

This invention relates primarily to a base detonating fuse designed particularly for armor piercing projectiles though not limited to this use. When a projectile enters armor at critical angles its tendency to straighten out produces a severe whipping action with the result that the fuse body is frequently distortedand the fuse mechanism deranged to render it inoperative.

The primary objects of this invention are to construct a fuse which will not be rendered inoperative under the conditions outlined in the preceding paragraph; to provide a delay train whose various elements combine in harmonious relation to insure proper and positive functioning without variation as to time in communicating the flame from a primer element to a detonating element; to position the. delay train a relatively great distance from the primer; and, to interpose means for concentrating the flame from the primer. i

Other and equally important objects and vadvantages are: to provide a casing for carrying an igniting mechanism and for compactly and effectively disposing a delay train of small diameter and high density between the igniting mechanism and the detonator; to absolutely obturate all of the gases generated by the burning powder, thus causing the powder to burn under a rising pressure; to provide an expansion chamber for the gases generated by the burning powder of the delay train to the end that suiiicient expansion volume may be obtained to permit the pressure developed from the burning powder to be controlled so that the entire element may be made gas tight; to nterpose the delay train between the plunger, in which is carried the ring pin, and a rotor, in which is carried the detonator, each of which elements are provided with safety devices to normally hold them in unarmed position; and, to provide means for positively locking the rotor in unarmed position during flight and for insuring this position on impact, especially on ricochet action.

To these and other ends, our invention ccnsists in the construction, arrangement, and comfbination of elements, described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of our invention is illustrated in the accompanying which,V

Fig. V1 isla longitudinal'sectional View of fuse constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken atright angles to Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on 3 3 of Fig. 2; Y

Fig. 4 is a detailed longitudinal sectional view of the casing; and y Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed sectional viewsvof the rotor. l t

Referring to the drawings by numeral characters of reference:

The fuse comprises a body l0, its rear portion formed with a plurality of bores to vform a rear` cavity lil, an intermediate cavity I2, and a front cavity I3., in which are respectively disposed a' plunger casing A, a forwardly extending eccentric portion Vformed integrally with the-plunger cas.

the une ing to constitute a delay ,train casing B, and a detonator carrier C. The cavities I2 and I3 are eccentric for purposes which f willv hereinafter` appear. t l

The forward portionofV the fuse body is formed with a booster chamber` I4 closed bya threaded plug n l5YK and in communication with the, front cavityY I 3 through a Vpassage I6. -The forward end of the passage l 6 is provided with an annular shoulder Il for seating a cup *I8 `to separate a booster charge i9 from the detonator carrier C.

The casing AB is retained in the body lfby a rear plug 20 and is held against rotation by reason of its eccentric portion B.

'I'heenlarged portion A of the casing is chambered to `carry a plunger consisting-of a ,cup 2| in which is `heldbya pin 22 aslotted carrier 23. Pivotally supported in the carrierasat Y24 and normally housed in the slot is. a firing pin 25 which is normally held in unarmed positionqby means of bolts 26 registering withinl an aperture of the firing pin through springs 2l and adapted to be thrown out by centrifugal force during the rotational ightof .the projectile to Arelease lthe firing pin to armed position.V The plunger; is held in rearward position until impact of the projectile: by means of a spring 28 embracing the forward part of the carrier and confinedibetween the plunger cup and the dividingwall 29 of thecasing AB. f

The dividing wall is recessed to receive` a v primer retainer 30 crimped into place andformed.

with a central flared aperture 3|. The .wall is further recessed to carry an igniting mechanismconsisting vof an anvil 32 abutting anl internal drawings, in

tween the cover and the anvil is a primer composition 35 and a disc 36.

The anvil is formed with ducts Sil' in communication with a passage 31 which extends through the length of the casing B axially of the fuse and terminates in a reduced mouth 38. The Wall of the passage is crimped or upset as at 39 intermediate its length to firmly hold in its central portion a, plug 40 which serves to retain a delay train, positioned forward thereof. The plug is formed with a converging aperture 4l for concentrating the flame from the primer and abuts a pellet 42, which is formed with a depression 43 which registers with the edges of the aperture 4| to form, las it were, an apical cap; I

Adjacent the pellet 42 is a special delay element 44 which element abuts against a partially closed cup 45 resting against the shoulder formed by the reduced mouth 38 and containing an exciter charge 45. The central train consisting of the pellet 42, element 44, and charge 45' is of small diameter and compressed to a high density to withstand very severe impact.

The casing B is further formed with an eX- pansion chamber 46 in communication through a port 41 With a chamber 31 formed in the passage 31 by reason of the position of the plug 40. The expansion chamber is closed by a plug 43 which is crimped into place. The object of this chamber is to obtain suicient expansion volume so that the gases from the burning powder may be .obturated and develop a continually rising pressure. This insures greater uniformity in the delay period and assists the detonating Wave fromthenexciter 45' to the detonating element 59 in the carrier C. A p

Rotatably mounted in the eccentric cavity I3 on a pin 49 is the detonator .carrier C, in the form of an approximately T-shaped rotor, which is normally held by pins 50 to position a blind .cavity formed in one Wing of the rotor in alignment With the delay charge. The pins are carried in the fuselbody, one of them being lat anlangle, and are projected in the cavity I3 by' springs 52 acting against screw heads 53,; VDur-4` ing rotational iiight of a projectile the pins are thrown out under the action of centrifugal force thereby permitting the rotor to rotate on its axis Auntil it engages a stop pin 54, at which time, a locking pin 55 disposed horizontally inthe rotor will be thrown outward by centrifugal force to partially enter an aligned opening 56` in the fuse body Iuntil it is brought up against aplug 51 when a pin 58 carried by the rotor vertical to thepin 55, may creep forward until itis behind the locking pin 55 to prevent its return at the moment ofimpact. If the vertical pin 58 is not already in locking position at the moment of impact it will be urged forwardly under ,the force of inertia. Y

When the rotor is in this position it will dispose adetonating element 59 axially of the fuse and in line With the relay charge on the one side and the booster charge on the other. The detonator iscarried in a cup ,60 which is frictionallyV held in an aperture 6I passing entirely through a wing of the rotor.

During transportation and storage the fused shell Awill be entirely safe as the firing pin and detonator at opposite ends of the igniting mechanism and delay train are respectively maintained in unarmed position by the plunger bolts 26 and the centrifugal pins 50 which are not 4 released; until the projectile attains fa predetermined rotational speed during 'ight'.

As stated, the firing pin being released to armed position during ight, it is held from the primer by means of the plunger restraining spring until the impact of the projectile causes the plunger to move forwardly under the force of inertia until the firing pin primes the primer. The ame from the primer ignites the delay train and is transmitted by the relay charge to the detonator which explodes the booster charge.

Thedparticular composition and arrangement of the delay train and its disposition with respect to the igniting mechanism and the detonator are designed to provide a simple, compact, and highly eicient device embodying the most desirable objects to be sought in fuse construction, While the method of housing these elements insures positive functioning under all conditions of impact. t

While in the foregoing there has been illustrated and described such combination andarrangement of elements, as constitute the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is nevertheless desired to emphasize the fact that interpretation of the invention should only be oonclusive when made in the light of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. A fuse including a fuse body, a casing within the body, said casing formed with an eccentric portion, an igniting mechanism carried by the casing, a delay train disposed in the eccentric portion, a rotor mounted in the body forwardly charge carried by the fuse body forwardlyvof the rotor.

2. A fuse including a fuse body, a casing with-v in the body, said casing formed with an eccentric portion, an igniting mechanism carried by the casing, Aa delay train disposed in the eccentric' with a chaivnber in portion, said portion formed l communication with the delay train.

3. A fuse including a rotor,` a'ring ele'ementy carried bythe rotor, means for holding'the rotor in unarmed position, means for limiting the rotational movement of the rotor, ra pin 'disposed horizontally in the rotor and adapted to be thrown outward by centrifugal force'to engage the fuse, and a pin disposed vertically to the aforesaid pin and adapted to seat behind said pin to positively lock the` rotor in armed position.

4. A delay train forl fuses including apellet, said pellet formed with a depression in 'its rear face, a special delay powder loaded forwardly of i the pellet and an exciter charge adjacent the special delay powder, said train being of small diameter and high density.

5. A fuse embodying an igniting mechanism, a delay train composed of several elements', a plug disposed between the igniting mechanism and the delay train, said plug formed with a forwardly converging `aperture and the element of the delay train adjacent the plug formed with a central depression.

6. A fuse embodying an igniting mechanism, a delay train, a plug spaced from the igniting mechanism and abutting the delay train', vsaid plug formed with a converging aperture l '7. A fuse embodying an igniting mechanism, a detonator, a delay train disposed between the igntng mechanism and the detonator, and means spaced from the igniting mechanism and abutting the delaytrain for concentrating the flame from the gntng mechanism.

8. A delay train for fuses including an exciter charge, a special delay powder adjacent the exciter charge, a pellet adjacent the delay powder, said pellet being formed with a depression in its face opposite the delay powder, and means for concentrating an igniting flame upon said depression.

9. A compressed delay train for fuses including means for concentrating an ignitng ilame, a

pellet having a depression in position to receive the concentrated flame, a special delay powder abutting the pellet, and an exciter charge abutting the special delay powder.

JOHN H. WOODBERRY. CHRISTIAN GQSTORM. JOHN S. BARKER. FRANCIS H. MILES, JR. HAROLD M. BRAYTON. CLIFTON E. SEAVEY. 

